We took a 5-day cruise on the MSC Meraviglia on November 17.
The captain was Captain Battinelli, the Director of Hotel Services was our
friend Guglielmo Gargiulo, and the Cruise Director was Gene. We were in cabin 9102 and our dining table was 416.
The ship can hold 5714 guests and 1540 crew members. There
are 32 elevators including the 19 for guests. The ship features a Swarovski
staircase and a 96m Mediterranean-style promenade with the longest LED Sky
Screen at sea. It was a fabulous looking ship! It was so easy to get around and
I never felt like there were huge crowds and long lines. There was plenty to
see and do every day and I think cruisers of all ages would enjoy this ship.
Day 1 Embarkation
We drove early to Miami since we knew the Miami-Homestead
Nascar race was today. Then we saw that all 3 lanes were blocked on I-95 near
the port so we took exit 8B to Hwy 1 and drove to the port. It was actually a
much easier route than the chaos of I-95. We were parked and unloaded our
baggage by 10:30. We checked in and learned that our Voyagers Club Black Card
is now called the Diamond level. The embarkation crew was very unorganized, and we
waited until 12:30 before we could get on the ship.
Once we got on the ship, everything went smoothly. We had
lunch on deck 15 at the Marketplace Buffet. After that, we enjoyed a few beers
until we had the muster drill. All of the bar staff were friendly and quick to
serve. After the muster drill, we changed for dinner at 6pm and our dining
table 416 was a table for 8. We met Daniel and Janice from Montreal, Ozzie and
Lucia from St. Augustine, and Elizabeth and Cathy from Los Angeles. They were a
great group of people! We all got along really well and had a lot of things to talk about! After dinner, we saw the show Virtual which was good.
Day 2 At Sea
Breakfast opened at 6:30. After Don got up and had breakfast
we walked on the walking track. At 10:30, we went to the Cruise Critic cocktail
and I was able to give Guglielgmo the gnome for his daughter. He really liked
it. After that, we went with his to the Voyagers Club Welcome Back cocktail
party. By then it was lunchtime. After lunch, we relaxed and read until it was
time to check out the Arts and Crafts at 3:30 but after seeing what we would be
making, we went to the Sky Lounge and relaxed until dinner. We had dinner in
the specialty restaurant, The Butcher’s Cut and the food was good. Then we went
to the show, Born to Rock, which was excellent! Around 10pm, someone knocked on
our door and our friend Guglielmo sent us a gift. It was so thoughtful!
Day 3 Cozumel
We got off the ship around 9:30 and walked around the port
for a little while. We were at a different terminal than we normally dock at.
The Liberty of the Seas was docked with us. We walked to Hard Rock Café and
then down to the other terminal where Carnival docks. There were 3 Carnival
ships in port: Freedom, Glory, and Fantasy. Downtown, another ship was docked. At
10:30, we got back on the ship and relaxed. After lunch, we walked around the
ship and in the afternoon, we took a little nap. During the afternoon, they
brought us chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of Prosecco. After
dinner, we went to the show, Way, which was good. Then we enjoyed music at one
of the lounges before going to bed.
Day 4 At Sea
We went to the Diamond Party at 11am in the Carousel Lounge.
We had a lot of shipboard credit to use so I bought two rings and Don bought
two bottles of Grey Goose vodka. Then we went back to the cabin to pack which
was easy. After lunch, we went back to the cabin to take a nap before dinner. We
had a lovely last dinner with our group and then went back to the room to see
if our luggage tags were there, but they weren’t. Our cabin steward quickly got
them for us. Then we went to the show, One Day More, which featured a lot of Broadway show tunes.
Day 5 Debarkation
We ate breakfast at 6am and then met in the Carousel Lounge
at 7:30. By 7:37, we were getting off the ship. It was easy to find our luggage
and go through customs. By 7:57, we were getting in our car and on our way. It
was the easiest debarkation that we have ever experienced. All the lines were moving
quickly and efficiently.
Things I Learned:
1.
We really liked the MSC Meraviglia.
2.
We plan to sail on her again.
3.
We have fun wherever we go, even if we don’t get
to go to the ports that were planned.
4.
It is fun to see our friends again who work on
the ships.
5.
If it is organized well, getting on and off the
ship can be painless.
Original Photo by Pat Hensley
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